Discover your public library

Marianna Hof

Trish, an otherwise unidentified library patron, sheepishly admitted

to me recently, “I read trash in the summer.”

Like so many of us hard-working folks, Trish says that in the summer

she likes to read lighter fair. But no matter what one’s reading tastes,

beach bags are going to be bursting with good books this summer.

The following is a sampling of the library’s recently arrived new

fiction treats ready to be grabbed, gobbled and relished.

“Happiness” by Will Ferguson is a hilarious romp about a lowly

subeditor at a major publishing house who discovers a manuscript in the

slush pile that becomes the ultimate self-help book, unleashing happiness

on the world.

“The Company” by Robert Littell, a sprawling saga of the CIA, is

intelligent and fearless, mixing harsh fact with fanciful fiction and

spanning 50 years.

“Gould’s Book of Fish” by Richard Flanagan is a vibrant story that

poses as a journal of a penal island convict who relates and juxtaposes

hilarious and brutal tales of the island’s eccentric inhabitants.

“Haunting of L” by Howard Norman tells the story of a young

photographer’s apprentice who falls under the spell of a mysterious

photographer and his beautiful bride. Set in early 20th century Halifax,

this is in some ways a coming-of-age tale, one where innocence runs

headlong into greed, opportunism and betrayal.

“A Week in Winter” by Marcia Willett is for you if you’ve been waiting

for another book like the “Shell Seekers.” This is a lovely story to

linger over, with a beautiful setting in Cornwall and characters you’ll

hold dear.

It’s summertime and the readin’ is easy. We invite you to stop by the

library and leisurely peruse our literary riches, many of which might be

just right for your warm weather, blue sky, surf’s up enjoyment!

How I Read It

What is ‘A Good Summer Book?’

No one ever proclaims they’ve just read a “good winter book” or a

“good autumn book” or a “good spring book.” If you read a “good summer

book” in January, would you hate it? I doubt it.

My personal theory is that during the summer the weather’s great,

school’s out, vacation’s in and we have all kinds of outdoor competition

for our leisure time.

In the summer, I want a simple story with a basic plot and

uncomplicated characters where the good guys/gals outsmart and beat the

bad guys/gals. I want a story I can rerun to after a swim in the ocean or

while waiting for paint to dry or chili to simmer.

I do not want to have to review the last several pages I read to

recall the plot and character relationships. “The Rise and Fall of John

Gotti” is definitely not on my summer reading list.

This is the time of year one must be very careful not to check out an

“I couldn’t put this down” story, lest one risk some very overcooked

meals. Worst of all, one may not even have a clue who’s going to be in

the World Series.

In our next column, I will suggest stories that, in my opinion, fit

the criteria for a “good summer book.” The books, of course, are provided

free at our public library. You may simply return the books after reading

them and, hopefully, they will have met your criteria for a “good summer

read”.

Your nominations for summer book candidates are encouraged. Please

e-mail us at doug@mdbowler.com.